Archive: Dec 2009

The Joint Munitions Command's Lean Six Sigma program has received accolades for being the best of all the subordinate commands in the Army. But it's not resting on its laurels - - it's also striving to be world class in industry.

<b>What is it' </b>
Building an Army for the 21st century necessitates a new leader mindset where cost and resource-informed decisions must drive operations. Army leadership recommends embedding cost-management skills and the requisite policies and procedures throughout, and, in order for this to happen, senior leaders must have staff members who possess these skills. The Cost Management Certificate Course (CMCC) is an important element in implementing these recommendations for ArmyAca,!A?wide Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA).

NOVO BRDO, Kosovo -- Members of the Multi-National Task Force-East Civil Liaison Team of KFOR 12 (Kosovo Forces) this week assisted local nongovernmental organizations, such as the Albanian Red Cross, distribute donated linens to underprivileged families from this region in Kosovo.

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - The structure and stability of the NATO peace-support mission in Kosovo makes getting an education while deployed a hard option to pass up for U.S. Soldiers stationed here.
At last count, about 400 uniformed men and women in Multi-National Task Force-East were filling classrooms after hours and on weekends, taking full advantage of college-credit opportunities for personal and professional growth.

FORT RILEY, Kan. - A young girl and her brother weighed their options. Both bundled up in their winter wear, the two of them looked over a wide variety of chips. After much deliberation, they made their selection and settled down on the floor beside a long table. Their mother and younger sisters were already sitting at the table enjoying their meal.

FORT RILEY, Kan. - A group of Fort Riley Elementary School first graders stood in the hall outside their cafeteria. Wearing green and silver costumes; they whispered amongst themselves about their lines and the crowd gathering in the gym.

FORT RILEY, Kan. - With help from her community, a 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team spouse's project turned into more than she expected. Misty Dial, the wife of Cpl. Keith Dial, a Soldier with Company A, 701st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th IBCT, set out to make 135 blankets for the Co. A Soldiers in time for Christmas. She ended up with 240.

The commander of Multi-National Task Force-East told local media in Gjilan/Gnjilane and Ferizaj/Urosevac this week that he looks forward to working with civic leaders and members of the press to ensure they have the most current information on KFOR capabilities and the improving security environment in Kosovo.

CAMP RIGAS FEREOS, KOSOVO - Members of a Kentucky National Guard aviation unit offered up its time and helicopters recently to help train peacekeeping partners from another nation here in Kosovo.
The 2-147th Aviation Battalion, based out of Frankfort, Ky., provided two UH-60 Blackhawk lift helicopters and one medevac chopper and pilots this week so the Greek's quick reaction force could complete hot and cold-load training and get a little practice loading and unloading casualties from the aircraft.

Alive day is a term dubbed by a number of injured combat veterans to describe the day they escaped death. Some were left with scrapes and bruises, others lost their limbs and, for some, there would be emotional wounds they will struggle with for the rest of their lives.

With the holiday season here, the spirit of giving was in full swing as Soldiers from the 101st Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division banded together in order to provide their fellow Soldiers and their Families with food during the food drive Dec. 18 at their headquarters building.

The UCLA Bruins beat the Temple Owls, 30-21, in the EagleBank Bowl, Dec. 29, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. But the real winners of the event were wounded Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen who benefit by involvement with the bowl game's charity partner "The Wounded Warrior Project."

Local band Locksmith has already garnered attention, although unwanted, from neighbors complaining about the loud music coming from one of the homes that rest in Ord Military Community.
But whether itAca,!a,,cs living in these moments of infamy or playing for fans, new and old, at Aca,!A"open micAca,!A? nights at local cafes and bookstores, Brett Freshour is doing what he loves: performing with his band.

Army Reserve Soldiers serving under Third Army had the opportunity to voice their concerns during a town hall meeting hosted by Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, Chief of the Army Reserves, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Dec. 26.

Army Reserve Soldiers serving under Third Army had the opportunity to voice their concerns during a town hall meeting hosted by Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, Chief of the Army Reserves, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Dec. 26.

Third Army's involvement in the drawdown of U.S. troops and equipment in Iraq has served an important role in completing the mission and bringing U.S. servicemembers home.
As Third Army's focus in theater changes to Afghanistan, so must the mission of redistributing supplies.

Third Army's involvement in the drawdown of U.S. troops and equipment in Iraq has served an important role in completing the mission and bringing U.S. servicemembers home. As Third Army's focus in theater changes to Afghanistan, so must the mission of redistributing supplies.

The 16th Sustainment Brigade, a logistics unit based here, exceeded reenlistment objectives by large margins for fiscal year 2009, despite the brigade being deployed to Iraq during the fiscal year, and revisions to the Army retention policies.

<b>What is it' </b>
While it considers a two-year continuance, the Defense Department has extended by 60 days (to February 28, 2010) the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) pilot-recruiting program, which was set to expire December 31, 2009. The MAVNI program enlists non-citizens legally in this country who have certain foreign language or medical expertise. MAVNI-recruited Soldiers are eligible for expedited U.S. citizenship.

Fleet Adm. Ernest J. King, Chief of Naval Operations during World War II once said "I don't know what that logistics is, but I want some of it." In the Army, logistics includes meeting our Soldiers needs by providing them with supplies, equipment, and maintenance. Today, the world of logistics remains ever important.
Five local high school students became the first graduates of the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center Logistics Academy. The Logistics Academy partners with Eastern Iowa Community College, Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley High Schools in Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center to provide students a unique learning opportunity.

Army established the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness directorate on Oct. 1, 2008. The mission of this program is to develop and institute a holistic fitness program for Soldiers, families, and Army civilians in order to enhance performance and build resilience.

With more than 1,135 school projects already completed and operational, the Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District in Iraq finished and turned over its most recent project, the Al-Mazraa elementary school, to the Iraqi Ministry of Education last week.

More than 60 years after the devastating Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, USARPAC military and Department of Defense civilian personnel continued to study the lessons learned during the two-day SLDP that began with a pre-brief by U.S. Army Pacific Historian, David Hilkert, followed by a staff ride where participants boarded a bus for a tour around Oahu, which included historic sites relating to the attack on Oahu.

Sgt. 1st Class Michael Kahyai has amassed numerous skills during his 16-years Army career. A light wheel vehicle mechanic, a recruiter, an instructor, and as an OH-58D systems chief, he has sought new challenges with a can-do attitude and spirit.
Looking for a new challenge, he left aviation maintenance and joined the Acquisition Corps in 2008. In December, Kahyai's was assigned to the 683rd Contingency Contracting Team in Vicenza, Italy.

As a result of multiple deployments over nearly nine years of war in two theaters, many families of servicemembers are choosing to remain in their established neighborhoods or return to a relative's hometown when their soldier deploys.

The New York Military Forces Honor Guard rendered military honors at the funerals of more than 10,400 former Army members, mostly from the World War II generation, in 2009.
But there are still Soldiers being buried out there who don't get the honors they are entitled to because they or their families don't realize what they are owed by their country, said Donald E. Roy, the director of Honor Guard.

The U.S. military has made considerable progress in developing counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy and doctrine, including the publication of Army Field Manual 3-24 and the military's successes in working with the population to stem the insurgency in Iraq. The short-term goals of COIN are now fairly well understood: engage the population and win their support. Whichever side wins the support of the population-either the host nation (and US forces that support it) or the insurgents-wins the battle.

Population-centric counterinsurgency (COIN) has become the American Army's new way of war. The principles and ideas that emerged out of the Army's counterinsurgency field manual (FM), FM 3-24, published in late 2006, have become transcendent. The field manual has moved beyond simple Army doctrine for countering insurgencies to become the defining characteristic of the Army's new way of war. In the American Army today, everyone is a counterinsurgent.

After 4 years of reading reports, articles, and books about the war in Iraq, it was unclear to me what the strategy was that we were following. Questions posed to faculty members and students at the U.S. Army War College did not yield an answer. At dinner the night before the War College graduation, I asked a student whether the war in Iraq had been discussed in class during the year, and he replied, "Yes, numerous times." When I then asked whether he could tell me what strategy we were following, he replied, "That was never discussed." It appeared that we had not yet developed a strategy for an urban counterinsurgency.

Campaigning over the last half decade has left an indelible mark on Army professional discourse and doctrine. When it comes to counterinsurgency operations, we are s small-unit Army. Tough fighting and persistent nonlethal operations both in the streets of Baghdad and on other fronts for the last five years has proven just how critically important it is for tactical leaders and Soldiers to reside directly with their host nation forces, among the very population that they protect. In contact with opposing forces, the Army has transformed.

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - Basketball players from the United States KFOR Soldiers and Kosovo came together Sunday evening for a game here.
The visitors from the Ferizaj/Urosevac Kastrioti basketball club defeated the home Camp Bondsteel All-Stars 63-51, but the result of the game took a back seat to bolstering the long term friendship between the KFOR Soldiers and Kosovo.

"Reflect. Remember. Rejoice," is the slogan of the Our Heroes' Tree program, an initiative honoring the service of all military members. Through a display of ornaments on a tree, the program hopes to recognize and remember both servicemembers and their families.

A delegation of Senegalese media representatives visited U.S. Africa Command headquarters as part of an orientation program to explain the command's mission, December 14-18, 2009, culminating in an on-the-record interview with AFRICOM commander General William Ward.

During a recent pandemic influenza (flu) planning workshop, representatives from 16 West African nations joined with personnel from the United Nations (UN), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Health Organization (WHO), and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to discuss pandemic contingency disaster response planning, December 7-11, 2009 in Accra, Ghana.

BAUMHOLDER, Germany - Baumholder Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation is advocating for units and groups to take advantage of the designated driver promotion that DFMWR just rolled out for the holiday season. It is called I'm Stuck with Stupid. The promotion is available at FMWR Baumholder clubs encouraging responsible adults to take charge of their friends, colleagues and Soldiers.

SCHINNEN, Netherlands - Starting Jan. 1, Dutch law enforcement began observing a long-standing policy of "citizen autonomy" in responding to minor traffic accidents, meaning citizens are expected to handle the accident without police involvement, unless the parties in the accident disagree or if there is more than minor damage.

The Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) College recently returned to Tikrit during a multi-event ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Dec. 16. The IqAF College's return, highlighted by the arrival of the school's signature training aircraft, the T-6 advanced trainer, signals the return of the Iraqi Air Force to its original home at COB Speicher.

<b>What is it' </b>
The Army National Guard (ARNG) recognizes that many national and community treasures are represented by approximately 3,000 U.S. readiness centers (armories). From energy initiatives to architectural innovations to community outreach, National Guard readiness centers are unique and ubiquitous. Readiness centers constitute perhaps the most tangible and visible homeland symbol of the citizen-soldier serving community and nation.

Sgt. Major Alvin Chaplin likes to compare a chaplain assistant to an entire infantry company rolled into one Soldier. "In order to get the job done, he or she has to be able to do it all -- company clerk, supply person, motor sergeant and combatant. The chaplain assistant has to set the conditions for the chaplain to succeed and the commander to execute the unit's religious programs," said Chaplin, U.S. Army Forces Command's senior chaplain assistant. Chaplin made his observation on the occasion of the Army's celebrating the centennial of the Army chaplain assistants Dec. 28. For a hundred years, holders of what is now the 56M MOS (military occupation specialty) have assisted chaplains in ensuring the free exercise of religion for millions of Soldiers.

U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program biathletes 1st Lt. Jennifer Wygant and Sgt. Jesse Downs of the Vermont National Guard had impressive performances at the U.S. Biathlon World Team Trials on Dec. 12-13 at Mount Itasca, Minn.

FORT SILL, Okla. - The day started cold and dry, but fierce north winds blew in a blizzard that dropped a record 14 inches of snow at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers Airport. Roads quickly iced over and white-out conditions made travelling anywhere in the state a risk.

Now that we are fi nally here at Camp Bondsteel, Soldiers are settling in to their new living areas. As I visit
with our Soldiers and see the areas where they are living, I have discovered that they are trying to make
it as much like home as possible. Soldiers have pictures on their desks and walls of family and friends
back home. I have seen many laptops that have desktop pictures of family, favorite pets, and friends back
home as well. Given enough time and resources (care packages, PX runs, etc.), Soldiers can make a room
resemble what they have back home.

Happy holidays, families and friends
of Multi-National Task Force - East
Soldiers.
During this holiday season, we want to express our gratitude
and thank each of you for your dedication and support to each
deployed Soldier here in Kosovo and want to wish you the best
in this season of joy and in the New Year.

The winding path of trees surrounding Fort Stewart's Cottrell Field is a living monuments to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The parallel path of more than 300 eastern redbud trees forms what Fort Stewart residents call Warrior's Walk. Each tree represents a 3rd Infantry Soldier that lost their life serving in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Started in 2003, the grove of trees is the result of private donations, according to Jennifer Jones, director of contracting for the Mission and Installation Contracting Command at Fort Stewart Directorate of Contracting.

Soldiers from the Military District of Washington were treated to an early Christmas present Dec. 23. The Washington Capitals, National Hockey League, gave free tickets to servicemembers as part of their Military Appreciation Night.

Sgt. Jeffrey Yauch, from Plover, Wis., adheres to the old Army conviction: leave it better than you found it. During a one-year deployment, the 1st Cavalry Division soldier wrote detailed technical standard operation procedures for tactical satellite hubs employing the military's latest communications technology.

URLAS, Germany - Construction broke ground on an $8.8 million, 26-room Army lodge at the U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach's post in Urlas recently, marking the midway point in the largest Army lodging initiative in Europe, ever.

<b>What is it' </b>
The Virtual Installation (VI) assists military family members who are holding down the home front, far from the nearest military installation, when their loved ones deploy. VI may take the form of a brick and mortar storefront, space in a Veteran's Affairs facility or even an internet site.

Men clad in silver bunker gear mingled with others garbed in dark grey suits adjusting facemask and oxygen tanks. The shrill of a fire alarm sounded as nine firefighters formed into three lines of alternate gray and silver outside the doorway of a smoke-filled building.
Baghdad International Airport Fire Chief Raad Mohammed Seeid gave last minute directions to the team of BIAP civilian firefighters and Iraqi Air Force firefighters as they rushed in low beneath thick black clouds.

In United States Division-North, medical evacuation Soldiers of Company C, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, Task Force Hammerhead, deploy Forward Support Medical Teams (FSMTs) to ensure that injured Soldiers receive treatment and evacuation to a higher level of medical care within that critical time period.

POZHERAN, Kosovo -- Members of the 1-144th Maneuver Task Force of the California National Guard have been doing more than keeping the peace on their current NATO mission in Kosovo.
They've been doing a little teaching on the side, and recently, they celebrated the graduation of their English Club at a primary school here.

Since KFOR 12's arrival at Camp Bondsteel, the G6 has been busy. Shared network access and linking to those folders, and non-secured internet protocol router (NIPR) and secured internet protocol router (SIPR) account access are some of the most common customer problems.